Blackpool: From the courts 02-03-17

Here is a round-up of some of the cases at Blackpool Magistrates Court.

Mark Weyer, 31, conveying a mobile phone into a jail and taking a photograph inside a prison

A visitor to a jail took a photograph of a prisoner to show how well inmates were being fed at Kirkham Prison.

Mark Weyer than put the picture on Facebook and found himself in trouble with the law after someone sent it to the prison governor.

Weyer, a 31-year-old father-of-three, of West Cliff Terrace, Preston, who owns a pointing business pleaded guilty to two offences under the Prison Act of 1952 – of conveying a mobile phone into a jail and taking a photograph inside a prison.

He was sentenced to do 40 hours unpaid work for the community and ordered to pay £85 costs with £85 victims’ surcharge by magistrates.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said Weyer visited an inmate at Kirkham Prison on October 21.

Signs at the jail listed items it was prohibited from taking into the jail. These included mobile phones and lockers were provided to put banned items in.

Weyer kep his mobile in his pocket and in the visiting area took a picture of a prisoner. He later posted the picture on Facebook and someone printed it off and sent it to the prison Governor.

Andrew Nottingham, defending, said Weyer had gone to the open prison to visit a relative whom he had not seen for a while. He was not searched and did not realise it was illegal to take a phone in or take a picture in the prison. He saw other people had mobiles on the tables in the visiting room.

Mr Nottingham added: “The reason he took the photograph was because his relative had been so well fed in Kirkham Prison he had put quite a bit of weight on. He put the picture on Facebook so other family members could see that the cousin was getting a bit portly.

“Social media gets people in all sorts of trouble. Someone spotted the picture and it got back to the governor who reported it to police. When interviewed Weyer said it had been a stupid thing to do.”